Disenchanted
by DanikaJA
Summary: AU; in this tale, Elsa cannot create life, Sven is not anthropomorphic, and Hans is not a villain as portrayed in the film. Story picks up during the confrontation between the sisters in Elsa's mountain ice palace. A happy ending is not intended, but hopefully a more satisfying one. Rated T for violence and thematic elements including suicidal thoughts. MULTICHAPTER.
1. Chapter 1

"Goodbye, Anna."

"Elsa, wait!"

"No, I'm just trying to protect you!"

"You don't have to protect me! I'm not afraid!"

 _You should be._

Pain and fear closed her throat as she resolutely turned and began to ascend the stairs. Maddeningly persistent in her naivete, Anna followed, asserting an understanding of the situation that she did not possess. Ignoring her sister's incessant chatter, Elsa briefly considered sealing her chamber doors with ice, but she dare not use her powers intentionally in her sister's presence. It was too risky. Instead, she attempted one last time to appeal to reason.

"Anna," she pleaded, "Go home; you have your whole life ahead of you. Take my place as queen; open the gates. Marry your prince. I know that you mean well, but you _don't_ understand. I'm a danger to Arendelle. Yes, I'm alone here, but this is the only way that I can be myself without hurting anyone."

A shadow passed over her sister's face, and she averted her eyes.

"Actually, Elsa…" she hesitated.

A creeping sense of dread sent a chill down Elsa's spine.

"What?"

"Arendelle is knee-deep in snow, Elsa. The crops are destroyed. The fjord is frozen solid; there's no way to import supplies. People are freezing, Elsa, and they'll be starving soon enough; please, you have to come back with me and end this winter," Anna blurted.

"Anna…" Elsa's staggered under the weight of this revelation, her breath coming in gasping sobs. "Anna, I can't! I don't know how!"

 _I'm such a fool! I can't control this curse; everyone is going to die because of me._

She was vaguely aware that Anna was still speaking, attempting to soothe her with reassurances that they would find a way, urging her to calm down, telling her not to panic. It was no use; icy wind whipped through the chamber as Elsa fought desperately for control of her emotions, her powers, herself.

"Anna, please, just go, you're not safe here! You're only making it worse!" She cried, her voice breaking as her power surged through her veins, threatening to shred her tenuous grasp like a thousand shards of glass.

Elsa ran her hands over her face, clutched two fistfuls of her silvery hair, and closed her eyes. She had to get a grip; she had to protect her sister. She snatched frantically at what she could feel of her powers and wrenched them back, attempting to stifle their imminent eruption and direct their destructive forces inward, as she had done so many times before. For a moment, she thought she had succeeded. Then she felt the shift, the slip, the loss of control, the horrible ecstatic rush, as all she had been holding back burst outward in a single icy blast.

Momentary relief turned to terror as she heard Anna gasp in pain; her eyes flew open as she whirled just in time to see her sister fall to the floor, clutching her chest.

 _Her heart. I struck her heart._

"Anna!"

An unfamiliar voice echoed in the chamber as a tall, fur-clad stranger took the last flight of stairs two at a time and ran to her fallen sister.

"What happened?" He demanded, ignoring Anna's murmured insistence that everything was fine.

Elsa panted, wide-eyed and lost for words.

"Queen Elsa! Tell me what happened, now!" The burly fellow shouted, pulling off a glove to feel Anna's icy-pale skin and gauge her temperature.

"I… I struck her. I didn't mean to…" She stuttered, torn between her desire to flee and her desire to run to her sister.

"I know that," he growled impatiently, "Where was she hit?"

"Her heart," Elsa whispered, sinking to her knees as the tears began to fall.

 _I failed. It's all over._

She jumped, startled, when the stranger grabbed her by the arms, jerked her to her feet, and shook her. Never in her life had anyone handled her so roughly.

"We don't have time for you to feel sorry for yourself! We have to get her to the trolls, or she'll die!" He barked.

"You… you know about the trolls?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered, as the man turned back to Anna, bundling her more securely in her cloak and hefting her over his shoulder despite her weak protests. Then he wrapped one enormous hand around Elsa's arm and began to drag her towards the door. Elsa balked.

"I can't! It's too dangerous! What if I lose control again?" She cried.

The stranger's face softened as he met her terrified gaze, losing its hard purposefulness. He released her arm and lifted her chin, meeting her wide blue eyes with his sober brown ones.

"Stay here and wait for me," he instructed firmly. "I'll be back for you once she's safe. I promise."

Elsa hugged herself tightly as she watched him go, carrying with him all that she loved and lived for. For the first time in her life, she shivered.

 _Godspeed._


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey! Hey, we need help down here! The Princess needs help!"

Doors and windows burst open as Kristoff's shouting filled the courtyard. He pried his numb fingers from Sven's bridle with his free hand, and ran to loosen the ropes that bound the hypothermic Princess to the makeshift travois. There was no time to waste.

"What happened?"

"Princess Anna!"

"Is she hurt?"

"Fetch the court physician!"

"Who are you?"

Kristoff ignored the inane babble and cast about for someone who appeared unflustered and in charge. His gaze settled on a heavyset middle-aged woman, who was shoving her way through the gathering crowd with a small retinue of ladies-in-waiting at her heels.

"My name is Gerda; I was nurse to the Princess and Queen—helped bring them into the world, and looked after them when their parents passed, God rest their souls. You can come with me," she introduced herself briskly and wasted no time guiding him into the hall.

She barked orders over her shoulder for someone to tend to Sven, for which he was grateful, and delegated a variety of tasks to the ladies-in-waiting as she led the way to the residential wing of the palace.

"Now, you tell me what's happened, young man. Straightaway," Gerda ordered, when all the attendants had departed to carry out their various errands.

"Princess Anna thought she could persuade Queen Elsa to stop the winter," Kristoff began.

"Stupid girl," the matron muttered; Kristoff pretended not to hear.

"The Queen became upset when she realized the extent of the freeze; she panicked and struck the Princess in the heart with her ice magic. I took the Princess to the trolls for healing—" His explanation was cut short as the woman rounded on him with narrowed eyes. "They raised me," he said simply, "I was there when they healed her head as a child."

Gerda regarded him for a moment more, then nodded and proceeded down the hall.

"Continue," she ordered.

Kristoff picked up his narrative.

"Grandpabbie told me that a frozen heart cannot be healed by troll magic; only a deeper magic can heal such hurts. He said that an act of true love could save her, so I brought her back here. I was told she has a fiancé?"

"She does," Gerda said wearily, opening the door to a warm bedchamber and dismissing the scullery maid who had stoked the fire now roaring in the grate. "But he's not here."

"Not here?!" He cried, afraid now. "There isn't much time! Where is he?"

"Let's get her into bed; one of those pretty little idiots will be bringing a bed warmer shortly, and as soon as the hot bath is drawn, we'll try that."

"This isn't hypothermia!" Kristoff shouted. "It's magic!"

"Young man, lower your voice immediately!" Gerda commanded, drawing herself up to her full height.

Intimidated, though she barely reached his shoulder, Kristoff complied.

"But it _is_ magic," he repeated as he relinquished his charge to the care of her nurse.

"Of course it is," the woman answered patiently, speaking as though to a child she thought might be a bit slow. "But we have to go through the motions. We don't want to cause a panic. Or a start a war. Do you have any idea how many foreign dignitaries are here? How many would love to carry home reports that Arendelle's only heir is on her deathbed? Never mind all the relatives and claimants to the throne that would come out of the woodwork."

They were quiet for a few minutes as Gerda unlaced and removed the unresponsive Princess' wet boots and cloak; Kristoff averted his eyes when she started on the lacings of the gown. A lady-in-waiting came in with the bed warmer, reported on the status of the bath, and was dismissed to fetch another warmer.

"Where is Prince Hans?" Kristoff pressed again, shifting his weight anxiously from one foot to the other.

"He and a band of young morons took their horses and set off in search of the Princess when her horse came back without her; they've been gone most of the day. I don't know when they'll return. If you ask me, the Prince will be lucky if those Weselton thugs don't break his pretty neck and claim it was an accident," Gerda said darkly.

"Ma'am?" A different lady-in-waiting poked her head into the room. "You said to let you know right away if Prince Hans returned? He has, ma'am. They have the Queen with them."

"Dead or alive?" Gerda queried sharply.

"I… um… alive, ma'am. I believe," the lady-in-waiting answered faintly, her eyes darting nervously from the nurse to Kristoff and back again.

"Get in here and get the Princess out of her wet things and into something dry and warm," Gerda said, straightening her apron and smoothing her hair. "Someone will be bringing a hot bed-warmer shortly; as soon as she brings it, send her for another, you understand? I want this room toasty, and this bed hot, you understand? You," Gerda jerked her head at Kristoff as the girl set to work obediently, "Come with me."


	3. Chapter 3

The courtyard was still full of hysterical courtiers; the hum of their gossip was deafening. Kristoff followed in Gerda's wake as she cut expertly through the crowd with the force of a battle-ax. She marched resolutely towards the bedraggled and frostbitten group of lordly-looking young men, who were still mounted and unable to make any headway due the press of people.

"Chamberlain!" Gerda barked when she caught sight of the portly, balding gentleman. "Start clearing these people out of here; we don't need another spectacle!"

There was significant protest as the chamberlain and footmen began to carry out her instructions; one particular elderly gentleman—a slight, slender fellow in ridiculous high heeled boots—was squawking like a chicken being prematurely plucked. Kristoff barely noticed; as the crowd had thinned, he was finally able to catch a glimpse of the Queen, tightly bound and unmoving, and his heart thudded painfully in his chest.

 _Please be alive, or we're all doomed._

"What have you done?!" He heard the roar as though it had ripped from someone else's throat, and did not remember taking the running strides necessary to reach the flank of the horse over which the Queen limp body was draped.

 _I never should have left her there alone._

He ignored the protests and shook off attempts to restrain him as he lifted her down and brushed her hair back from her face. Mercifully, she was still breathing, though her treatment had clearly been horrendous—an ugly bruise darkened her left cheekbone.

"What is the meaning of this, Prince Hans?" Gerda inquired sharply.

The Prince had dismounted, and was glaring daggers at a pair of unsavory characters in his party.

"I couldn't just let them kill her," he growled, clearly furious. "This was our _compromise."_

Kristoff did not miss the fact that the Prince's handsome face was also bruised; his lip was cut and swollen, and his coat was torn. The _compromise_ had evidently been hard won. Gerda pursed her lips.

"Guards!" Her voice was startlingly loud in the now-empty courtyard. "Get these two out of my sight. Lock them in with the Duke. They are not to leave their chambers unless I personally give instructions to the contrary. Is that understood?"

There was a brief scuffle as half a dozen palace guards converged on the unruly pair and dragged them down from their horses; one received a highly satisfying clout to the back of the head during the struggle and went still. Shortly thereafter, the other became significantly more cooperative and was frog-marched away.

"Who are you? Who is this?"

Kristoff heard the Prince's question, and the second directed at Gerda, as he was too intent on loosening the bonds cutting into the Queen's pale flesh to answer.

"He brought Princess Anna back from the North Mountain," Gerda said simply.

"Anna?! Is she alright?!"

Mention of the Princess finally provoked a response from Kristoff.

"No," he said shortly, hefting the Queen's slight weight more firmly into his arms. "She's not. Queen Elsa struck her with her powers—it was an accident; she lost control—I thought the trolls could help, but they told me only an act of true love can save her."

The Prince looked stricken, and he cast about wildly as though expecting to find the Princess in the courtyard.

"Where is she? Take me to her!"

"Right away, your Highness," Gerda said, and her stern face softened with sympathy for the young man.

She nodded in Kristoff's direction, which he understood as a command to follow. She expertly threaded her way through the halls and corridors and back to the Princess' chamber. There, Kristoff laid the Queen on a low couch and checked her breathing again; it was still steady. Gerda sent a lady-in-waiting to retrieve cheesecloth full of snow to soothe her battered face.

Prince Hans perched anxiously on the edge of Princess Anna's bed, where the Princess lay pale and still. Her hair had turned entirely white, and ice crystals had formed around her eyes and mouth despite the sweltering heat of the room and piles of warm blankets. The Prince took her hand and pressed it fervently to his lips; he must have noticed its icy chill, for he immediately cupped it between his hands and blew on it as if to warm it.

"It's magic," Kristoff explained, unhelpfully.

"I know that!" the Prince snapped, his voice cracking. "What do we do?"

"Grandpabbie said that an act of true love was the only thing that could save her."

The Prince turned and looked at him blankly.

"What is a Grandpabbie?"

"The Troll King," Gerda interjected.

No light of recognition flickered in the Prince's eyes, but he gave himself a little shake and did not inquire any further as to the source of the vital information.

"Alright," he said hesitantly, his gaze shifting from the Princess, to Kristoff, to Gerda, and back again. "An act of true love? Like a kiss?"

Kristoff flushed and pulled at his shirt collar, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Um… that would probably do it. Yeah," he muttered, looking down at his boots.

Prince Hans took a deep breath and glanced at Gerda, as though asking permission. Her nod was barely perceptible, and her expression was unreadable. The Prince bent and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to the Princess' lips, then sat back and waited with bated breath.

 _Nothing._

"I don't understand; nothing happened!" he cried, seeming close to tears. "I love her!"

"Shh," Gerda made soothing sounds as she placed a hand on the distraught young man's arm. "You did just meet her yesterday, your Highness. Perhaps it's not… enough?"

Kristoff was dumbfounded; he had never known Grandpabbie to lead him astray. When someone's life was on the line, how could he be wrong?

"Is there anyone else?" Kristoff asked desperately. "Anyone who truly loves her?"

"I do love her!" the Prince snarled, swiping at his tear-filled eyes, angry at his own inadequacy.

Kristoff ignored him.

"Gerda?"

Gerda wrung her hands and bit her lip. Then, impulsively, she bent and kissed the Princess' forehead. Once again, there was no change.

"Well, it was worth trying," Gerda sighed. "I've known them since they were babies, served their family for generations, but—well. It's not the same, I suppose."

There were a few tense moments of silence; the Prince laid his head over the Princess' heart and sobbed quietly into the coverlet. Kristoff's heart sank like a stone.

 _She's going to die. There's nothing anyone can do._

Suddenly, Queen Elsa gave a pained groan and stirred. Kristoff spun where he stood to see her sitting up on the couch, blinking groggily with one hand to her head. Her eyes widened and her spine stiffened as she realized where she was.

"What am I doing here?! It's too dangerous!" She cried sharply, starting to her feet.

She swayed where she stood, and for a moment Kristoff thought she would faint. He put out a hand to steady her, but she recoiled from his touch.

"Stay away!" she said fearfully.

"Milady, try to stay calm," Gerda said, speaking slowly, as though to a frightened animal.

"You," Prince Hans' voice cracked as he rounded on the Queen. "You did this! You've killed her! I saved you, and you killed her!"

Kristoff put a hand on the Prince's chest to stop his advance. He caught his wrist in a vice grip as he reached for his sword.

"Easy," Kristoff said gruffly; when the Prince resisted, he gave him a little shake. "Hey! It won't help."

All the fight seemed to go out of him; Kristoff found himself supporting the young man's weight and embracing him awkwardly as he continued to sob.

"What is he talking about?" Queen Elsa's voice was very small.

All color drained from her face as her gaze fastened on the still, silent form of her bedridden sister.

"Anna! No! She can't be dead!"

Sheer panic was etched on her face, and the temperature in the room dropped instantly.

"Milady," Gerda said sternly, though she could not keep the edge of nervousness out of her voice. "She needs to keep warm."

"She's not dead?" The Queen touched her sister's hair, her hands, her face, seeking evidence of life.

"Not yet," Gerda said gently, "But she is fading." She extended a comforting hand, then seemed to think better of it and went back to wringing them.

"What have I done?! Oh, Anna!"

Queen Elsa burst into tears as she threw her arms around Princess Anna.

"All I ever wanted was to keep you safe! Why didn't you listen? Why couldn't you just let me go?"

For a little while, the only sound in the room was that of weeping. Then, a realization crept over Kristoff, and he deposited the Prince on the couch, where he sat with his head in his hands. Kristoff returned to the Queen and laid a hand on her arm, unafraid.

"Queen Elsa? I think you have the power to break the spell. You love your sister; only an act of true love can undo this," he said soberly.

"I can't control it," Elsa said dully, utterly defeated.

But Kristoff was resolute; he gripped her arm and turned her to face him, looking into her eyes as he had done in the mountains.

"You have to try, for Anna's sake. For all our sakes."


	4. Chapter 4

The tension in the room was palpable; three pairs of eyes fastened on the Queen as she paced restlessly, clenching and unclenching her fists and muttering quietly to herself. Every so often she would pause, close her eyes and seem to concentrate fiercely. Still, there was no change.

"What is she doing?"

Prince Hans seemed to have finally collected himself; he was, after all, a prince. He put his question to Gerda _sotto voce_ , so as not to disturb the Queen.

"The King—God rest him—did his best to help her to control her powers. He found that strong emotions made the magic more difficult to control, so he tried to teach her to repress them. And we—the household—did our best to see she wasn't unduly upset," Gerda explained in a whisper.

Kristoff stood up abruptly, frustrated.

"This is ridiculous. Queen Elsa, stop. This isn't going to work. You can't just _stop feeling_!"

The Queen jumped, startled, and stared at Kristoff with her mouth slightly open.

"Wh—what?" She stuttered.

Kristoff rested his hands on her shoulders again and bent slightly so they could see eye to eye.

"It's not possible for you to stop experiencing emotions; you can't just will them away. You're only human—anyone would be upset by the things you've been through in the past few days."

Her dumbstruck look compelled him to elaborate.

"Look, I'm sure your father meant well. I'm sure he was just trying to keep you safe—people are afraid of magic; always have been, always will be. But he was wrong," he was forced to tighten his grip as the Queen made to pull away from him in anger. "No, listen! Everyone just discovered your most closely-held secret; of course you feel ashamed! You were accused of sorcery and treason, and attacked in your own home; of course you feel afraid! Your kingdom is experiencing a natural disaster and your sister is on the brink of death; of course you feel desperate! Even a Queen without magical powers would feel this way if this was the hand dealt her the day after her coronation."

He watched her at war with herself; it would not be an easy thing to reject her father's teachings and her own wholehearted beliefs, which had been instilled in her from girlhood. She cast an anxious glance at her sister, still prone on the bed, ice crystals creeping across her skin. Kristoff felt his own throat tighten; time was running out.

"I… I don't know what else to do," Queen Elsa admitted softly. "I never learned another way. When I was younger, I struck Anna with my powers. The trolls were able to heal her, then, but I knew it could never happen again. I was so out of control; my parents did their best."

"Begging your pardon, Your Majesty," Gerda interrupted, clearing her throat. "But that wasn't the way of it."

"Excuse me?"

Kristoff winced at the Queen's tone; even without the ice powers, she cut an intimidating figure.

"I don't mean to give offense, milady, but I have served your family for generations. I helped bring you and your sister into this world. When you were a girl, you weren't out of control. What happened to the Princess when you were children— well, that was an accident; children have accidents! She could just as easily have fallen out of a tree or tripped down the stairs while the two of you were playing; I always said so."

The Queen's expression softened, and Gerda continued.

"Before the accident, you controlled your powers rather well, I should say, for a child. Afterwards though, everything changed. You were afraid of your powers—afraid of yourself!—and your parents, bless them, they were afraid too. Everyone was. No one knew what to do. They should have sent for your aunt, if you ask me, but your mother—well, that's neither here nor there."

Queen Elsa turned away from Kristoff and Gerda and looked out the window contemplatively. She pulled her braid over her shoulder and tugged at it nervously.

"In the mountains—after I fled—I didn't feel out of control. I felt free," she said quietly. "I wasn't worried about hurting anyone, especially Anna. I thought she was safe down in the fjord. The blizzard had stopped, and the sun had come out… I really thought everything would be all right."

"Are you trying to say that if Anna hadn't come after you, there might have been a thaw? That everything would've been fine?" Prince Hans asked; he had been watching the exchange intently.

"I don't know! Maybe?" Queen Elsa turned on the Prince suddenly. "How could you let her come after me!? Alone!?" she demanded heatedly.

Prince Hans bristled at her accusatory tone, and Kristoff tensed in preparation to step between them.

"You can't blame me for this! You kept your magic secret from Anna for _years._ How was she supposed to know anything about it? To know that you were out of control? For all she knew, you were doing all of this on purpose, and if she just apologized to you for wanting a little happiness in her life, you would come back and fix everything!" He shouted.

"I didn't expect her to apologize for wanting to be happy; I just thought she'd have a little more respect for my opinion about marrying a man she'd only just met!" The Queen snapped back.

"Why should she have any respect for your opinion?! She doesn't even know you; you're like a stranger to her!"

"I'm a stranger? No, Your Highness, you're the stranger! I'm her sister!"

"She's spent the last thirteen years cooped up in an empty palace talking to a locked door! She doesn't have a sister; she has a jailer!"

Elsa slapped him; the sound of her palm striking his cheek was astonishingly loud. Hans put up a hand to cover the small red mark her hand had left.

"How dare you! I _love_ my sister. I spent thirteen years in solitude in order to _protect_ her. I _know_ the distance was painful for her—Don't you think I know!?—but I had no choice! You think that you love Anna? You have no idea what love is!"

A single, heart-rending sob ended the Queen's raging tirade; the Prince lowered his eyes, thoroughly abashed, as she panted for breath and smoothed her hair, attempting to compose herself.

"Elsa?"

Anna's whisper, barely audible, broke the awkward silence.


End file.
